Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a retinal disease that affects many diabetics. The retina is the portion of your eye (a nerve layer) that actually sees images and sends those images to the brain; it is the most common kind of retinopathy. Typically once you are diagnosed with retinopathy, it will get worse over time. Retinopathy starts out as blood vessels weakening in the eyes which may lead to blood and other fluids leaking into the retina which can lead to poor vision and if left untreated, to blindness.

Causes Of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by high blood sugar which damages the tiny blood vessels in the eye and causes clouding of the vision. Typically the disease has no symptoms until you notice a change in your vision. Unfortunately once this happens, chances are the retinopathy is already severe. You should have your eyes checked annually so that retinopathy can be caught early and treated which will help prevent vision loss. Changes may include blurry vision, pain in your eye, floaters or difficulty in reading.

Detecting Diabetic Retinopathy

An ophthalmologist or an optometrist can detect diabetic retinopathy using a number of tests including visual acuity (which measures the eyes ability to focus and see details at both close and far distances), a slit lamp (or ophthalmoscope) exam which allows the doctor to see the back of the eye, a gonioscopy which is used to determine where fluid is training from your eye (used typically if there is a suspicion you have glaucoma), or a tonometer which measures the pressure inside your eye (also for glaucoma). A fluorescein angiogram may be used to locate leaking blood vessels if you have symptoms such as blurred vision or distorted vision which may suggest damage to or swelling of the retina. In addition to being at higher risk for diabetic retinopathy, you are also at an increased risk for glaucoma if you are diabetic and regular eye exams can not only help detect these diseases early but may prevent or delay any vision loss associated with them.

Should You Get Tested For Diabetic Retinopathy

Anyone over the age of 10 who has Type 1 Diabetes should have an eye exam within 3 - 5 years of being diagnosed and then should have annual eye exams, those with Type 2 Diabetes should have an exam as soon as they are diagnosed and then once a year. If your doctor does not feel you are at high risk for vision damage (that is you have no other issues such as high blood pressure or cholesterol) your doctor may recommend these exams every two years. Women who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes should consider an eye exam before they become pregnant and then before the end of the first trimester (3 months) of the pregnancy. Your eye doctor will then determine if you need further screening for retinopathy during your pregnancy.

How To Lower Your Risk For Diabetic Retinopathy

You can lower your risk of developing retinopathy by keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. You should also keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels low and if you smoke, you should be quitting. If you quit smoking, keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels at as near normal levels as possible, your risk of developing retinopathy decrease.

Retinopathy may not require any treatment but if it should, there are various medications, surgery and laser treatments that can help slow the vision loss associated with diabetic retinopathy.